Please help! Broke a lever last night...

Michael Winter · From: Portland, Oregon

It's been almost a year since I've been playing steel and I haven't even busted a string yet, but last night I broke the left lever (E raise)!
Mad

Here is a photo of my PSG:
Fender Dual Artist with a Sho Bud undercarriage

Here is a close up of the piece that broke. It's not the actual lever, but what the lever connects to.

Please help me identify what this piece is called and direct to where I can find a new piece.
Thanks a lot everyone! Very Happy

_________________
Fender/Sho-bud Dual Artist
Sierra U12 Crown Keyless
1975 Fender Pro Reverb
Evans FET 500 LV

Palmer · From: New Bern,NC,USA

Michael, the name of the part is a knee lever bracket. The part # off Sho- Bud's list is 731. You may be able to get one at RayLine Guitars ph 904-642-1229, or from Linkon. http://www.mts.net. Hope this helps. Jack.

Jon Hyde · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Hey, that's called a knee lever bracket and you can get a replacement (a stronger aluminum one) from Duane Marrs. Visit

www.duanemarrs.com

There's a picture of it under the parts tab. I replaced the pot metal brackets on my super pro era LDG, no problem. Those guys are great and super helpful.

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

Definitely replace that bracket and all others with aluminum (or other non-original) ones ASAP. As mentioned, Duane Marrs could help you. Probably also John Coop or Leon Roberts. (look 'em up in the memberlist)

It's not your fault or that of the particular bracket or guitar. The Sho-Bud parts of that era are notorious for this, being made of completely inappropriate material. Otherwise the mechanism is a pretty good design. That's a nice-looking guitar you've got there!

Tony Russell · From: North of England

Once you get a source for these, buy enough to replace the rest too. I've only broken two in over 20 years, but it's going to happen on a gig - never at home! Otherwise, these are pretty sturdy guitars; I bet you never bust a string with it? Something about the radius of the finger top on that knife edge changer I guess (bet I get shot down for that, but it's true for me).
Regards, Tony.
BTW are those pickups (retro-fit) twin coil? or is it a trick of the light in the picture? T.

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

The pickups look like Lawrence 705's. Twin blade.

Michael Winter · From: Portland, Oregon

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! Very Happy

I'll probably pick up 2 from Duane Marrs for my left knee for now since I don't use the right knee levers hardly... Embarassed

Tony, I've heard the same thing about that knife edge, supposedly a design by Gene Fields sometime during his tenure with Fender. I'm not sure about the pups, I'm still a boot camp when it comes to PSG. Very Happy

Maybe Doug Jones could chime in, he's the one that found it for me here on the forum. I really wish I could find more info on these guitars. I never see nor hear anything about them. I can't even hang out with the Fender guys on their forum cause I'm not pulling cables! Very Happy

Thanks again everyone!
_________________
Fender/Sho-bud Dual Artist
Sierra U12 Crown Keyless
1975 Fender Pro Reverb
Evans FET 500 LV

Lynn Stafford · From: Ridgefield, WA USA

Mike,

I have a bracket made out of aluminum that will directly replace your broken pot metal one. I had Sierra make me a few a long time ago when I had a Sho-Bud Super Pro. Let me know if you want it.

Lynn
_________________
Best regards,
Lynn Stafford

STEEL GUITAR WEST
http://www.steelguitarwest.com
Steel Guitar Technician (Restoration, Set-up, Service and Repair work)

Previous Emmons Authorized Dealer & Service Technician (original factory is now closed)

ZumSteel Authorized Service Technician
----------------------------------

Mike Winter · From: Portland, OR

Lynn -- Thanks for helping my boy out. U da man! Smile

Doug Jones · From: Oregon & Florida

I would get it from Lynn. The Super-Pro style pot metal pieces have been known to break. Let me know if I can help. DJ

Gabriel Stutz · From: Chicago, USA

I also recommend Duane Marrs. I had a Pro III and it started breaking all the time, so I got a bunch of knee lever brackets and bell cranks from him, and they were great. I finally sold it because it was so unreliable and I didn't have the money to replace all the parts I need to, but it was a great sounding guitar.

Gabriel

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

Michael - I'm green with envy re: that guitar. I had a chance to buy two identical guitars from a music store in Aurora IL in 1978 and had no idea what I was even looking at. The store wanted $725 each without cases. If you can't find what you're looking for in the way of what I call a 'knee lever mount', send me your broken chunks and I'll cut you a couple of them out of either 6061 or 2024 aluminum. I believe Music City Mfg. made those for Fender for a brief time, then Fender pulled the plug. They had a lot of the details that made Sho-Bud a household name, but a Fender 'attitude' that made them a 'Fender'. You've got the finest pickups on your guitar. Again, I'm green with envy.
PRR

Ernie Pollock · From: Mt Savage, Md USA

Bet all you Shobud Super Pro & Pro III players can relate to that little problem. I have had that happen several times myself, had a machist friend make the part out of aluminum for me, it works much better than the Shobud Pot Metal.

Ernie Laughing

http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Out here in the OREGON TERRITORY....... (that's just south of Seattle!) we have a genius on pedal breakage and repair:

Eric West replaced at least one of his knee levers with a handle off of a knife from a silverware setting at Jubitz (Oooops! Should I have said that?) after his knee lever broke off during a gig there. WIth a radiator clamp and the knife handle, Eric was back in biz within about two choruses of PROUD MARY or something similar......

It might pay you to check-in with Eric........ I think his was Sho-Buddy or whatever they're called.

Steven Black · From: Gahanna, Ohio, USA

That guitar has all the pot metal in it and needs to be sent to John Coop to have it updated underneath and if knee levers are breaking the pedal changers are not far behind in binding up, overall the wood is high quality and the guitar is worth updating to get rid of any pot metal in it.

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